Calls of Fall
by M14Mouse
Summary: Sequels to After The Longest Winter, Comes the Spring. Dojima gets a phone call that was a long time coming.


Calls of Fall

By: M14Mouse

Summary: Sequel After The Longest Winter, Comes the Spring. Dojima gets a phone call that was a long time coming.

Disclaimer: Don't own them.

"What happened to my son?" His sister's voice rang from the other end.

Dojima sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. He needed a drink for this conversation. He couldn't do that since he promised Nanako that they would go to the park after school. How do you explain to someone like his sister that her son grew up?

"What do you think happened to your son?" He said calmly.

"I don't know. Since he came back, he has changed. Not for the better in my opinion."

He felt his teeth grind against each other. His dentist is going to kill him during his next check up. The woman already wanted to put him in those damn things. He wasn't about to get her an excuse.

"Is his grades bad?"

"Well…no…He is still in the top of his class"

"Has he stopped volunteering?"

"He volunteered?"

He bit his lip. He wasn't about to comment on that one.

"Has he stopped going to practice?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Then…how is what happened here bad?"

"Because he talked back to his father. He told him that he was going back to Inba without our consent. He has never done before." She said in frustration.

God…he wanted to shake his sister. She just didn't understand. Yu wasn't rebelling because he was going through some phrase.

No, he wanted to come home. Not some empty apartment that his sister and her husband has set up somewhere.

Home.

"Maybe, it is because he never had a reason too," He said.

"What?"

How could he explain this without getting pissed off?

"I count six uniforms from 6 different schools in his closet when I helped him pack."

"What does that have to do with…"

"He remembered the names of the schools and his teachers. He remembered their rules but you know what? He doesn't remember any of his classmates' names. Not a single one."

"Brother, what are you…"

He wanted to punch the wall. Hard…but instead, he turned away from the wall and turned to look out of the window. He could see the laundry that Nanako left hanging on the clothes line. He smiled a little when he saw her big bro's favorite blanket airing out to dry. It was very important for his upcoming visit.

"After…she…she died, Nanako and I…we sort of stop living. We were just getting by you know. We weren't doing anything but going through the motions. She went to school. I went to work. Sometimes, we eat dinner. More often than not, we didn't. Sometimes, we would watch tv together. Most of the time, she watched it alone because I was at work."

The long pause told him that he had his sister's attention, he took a deep breathe and continued.

"Then Yu came, this house came alive. We came alive again. It was the little things like a home cooked meal when I came home from work. Did you know that your boy can cook? Hell, half of his friends nearly jump him to see what he made that night. There was Nanako's smile or photos by the door. Little things like when Yu talked me into going fishing…and I'm awful at it. I couldn't feel my fingers for a damn week."

He laughed softly as he rubbed his fingers.

"There were big things. He got my head out of my ass to see what I was doing to my daughter and to myself. He became a big brother to Nanako. I don't think for a moment that it was a one way street. I saw him open up right before my eyes. When he first came here, he was polite but distant. For the longest, he had boxes in the corner of his room. Even if he knew that he was staying a year, he was ready to go…just in case. I caught him a few times being confused on why we were still here…even if we lived here."

God, there was so much that he wanted to say.

"Slowly, that kid disappeared."

"Are you saying that you gave him a home? He has a home. He has…" She said angrily.

"No…you gave him four walls and a bed."

"How dare you say something like that? Yu has the best education. He has been to places that other kids can only dream of. He has anything that he needed and wanted."

"But a family…." He said.

He doubted that he could explain to his sister about what happened the year that Yu was here. He couldn't talk about murders, kidnappings, or a world inside of the tv. He couldn't explain the fog or the end of the world. He couldn't…but he could explain this.

"Family doesn't end in blood. Nanako has a standing date with Yu every Friday. She tells him everything what happened that week. She can't wait for it. She bugged me every minute on Friday. It is funny. Mine is on every other Monday. It isn't just us. Naoto and Yu email each other about the latest detective novel that they are reading. I think that they are trying to figure out who did it first. I know that he and Youske swap music because some how or another…I end up hearing it in my house. With Chie, it is kung fu movies and encouraging her to go into police work. Yukiko…it is her cooking. I'm proud to say that she didn't burn the water this time."

He laughed as the kids clapped and cheer her on when she finally boil the water.

"With Rise…it are cat videos. I am still not sure how that came about it. Kanji…He encourage him with any of his projects. You know that he finally started to make plush keychains for our local inn. The kid got talent. It isn't just his friends. I have kids over here all of the time asking when Yu coming back."

There was a long pause on the other end. He thought for a moment that his sister hung up.

"What happened there, Ryo?" She said softly.

"It was quite simple. He came to stay with family and became a part of one." He said.

"You should be proud but instead, you are angry about it. I have no clue why. Maybe, he isn't growing into the man that you want him to become. Damn it, I am proud of the man that he is becoming." Hell, if Yu was here, he would probably end up embarrassing the kid with all of the praise.

"You should be too."

He heard a sigh over the phone.

"I will talk to my husband and to…Yu. He will be there for Golden Week," She said softly.

"Thank you."

"I will call about the details later," She said.

"Of course," He answered back.

"Good-bye."

"Good-bye."

He heard a click and a long beep before he hang up the phone. He sighed softly.

He should be celebrating that Yu was coming. Everyone would stop being so upset. In reality, it won't fix anything until Yu and his parents had that talk.

Or…Yu and his parents have that talk and they actually listen.

End of Calls of Fall

A/N: Oh, hell. I give up. My no intention of doing a sequel has become dust. XD In a few weeks, I will wrap up this little series up. I want to thank everyone for their support. Read and Review if you wish.


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